The Isabella County Parks and Recreation Commission recently added nine wayfinding, or “You Are Here”, signs to Deerfield Nature Park to help visitors navigate the eight miles of nature trails crisscrossing the 591-acre park. Deerfield Nature Park is the largest and busiest hiking park in Isabella County, hosting thousands of visitors annually, who use the park for recreational and educational purposes.
Five more signs will be installed on the north side of the park this summer, bringing the grand total to 14. In addition to the wayfinding signs, color-coded trail blazes were added to all the trails south of the main trailhead as part of an Eagle Scout Service Project organized by Eli Buccilli of local Boy Scouts of America Troop 604.
The wayfinding signs were placed strategically throughout the park at trail intersections that, in the past, have often caused confusion for hikers, bikers and cross-country skiers. In addition to alleviating confusion for visitors, the signs and trail blazes will also improve safety in the park should an emergency occur.
Installation of the nine signs and the trail blazes took place on Saturday, May 6, with the help of more than 30 volunteers from BSA Troop 604, the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club, and with support from Isabella County Parks staff.
The Isabella County Parks and Recreation Commission Board and the Isabella County Parks Staff would like to recognize and thank the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club, Rotary District 6310 and the Mt. Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for funding the Deerfield Nature Park wayfinding signs. Isabella County Parks would also like to thank Foltz Screen Printing for donating a large portion of the trail blazes. We are forever grateful for the generous support of these great community partners!
